August 17, 2020
Dear friends,
Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) is here and ready to help! Even though our office remains closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are still on the job and available to serve clients remotely.
If you need our services, please call or email us. You can call us at 217-352-6533, or send us an email at cchcc@cchcc-il.org, and we will respond as soon as we can. Please leave us a message, and please be patient – we will contact you as soon as we can. Because we are working remotely, our Staff have a little more work to do in order to communicate amongst ourselves and to coordinate our responses, but we will get back to everyone who contacts us! In this challenging time of the coronavirus pandemic, CCHCC wants to continue to provide information and resources to you. Many people have contacted us to ask about where they can go to get tested for the Coronavirus, and under what circumstances they will be allowed to get a test.
We are fortunate in Champaign County to have a drive-up facility organized by the Illinois Department of Public Health, open to everyone, as well as several healthcare providers who are also doing Coronavirus testing, and the University of Illinois (for students, faculty, and staff).
Please see below for information on where you can go to get tested for the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Overview
Before you go get a Coronavirus test, you need to know that testing at some locations is limited to individuals who are either experiencing symptoms, have a known recent exposure to someone who tested positive, or are awaiting surgery. Also, different sites use different forms of the test – some use short nasal swabs, some use the longer nasopharyngeal swabs, and the University of Illinois is using a saliva test.
Please review the information below so that you can find the best testing site to meet your needs.
And… an important message about what to do once you have gotten tested
It is very important to understand that a coronavirus test is a point-in-time test. The test will only tell you your status (positive or negative) for the particular day and time when you’ve had the test. So, for example, if you get a negative test result, but you went out and interacted with people after you got the test, but before you received the results, you will not know if you are still negative. You will only know that, at the time of the test, you were negative for the virus.
This means that if you go and get tested, you MUST immediately isolate yourself after you’ve gotten tested, and until you get your test results. If your test results are negative, but if you went and socialized or did other activities that could expose you to the virus after you got the test, you will not be able to be certain that you are, in fact, still negative for the coronavirus.
WHERE TO GET TESTED FOR THE CORONAVIRUS IN CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
Marketplace Mall Covid-19 Testing (courtesy of the IL Dept. of Public Health)
(2000 N. Neil Street Champaign, IL) Open 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. – 7 days a week
Through the state of Illinois, COVID-19 testing is available at the Marketplace Mall parking lot behind Field & Stream. This testing is done via drive-up OR walk-up, and you will need to provide a photo ID. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District suggests getting tested at this site if possible and you do not need to be showing symptoms or have a doctor’s referral to visit. The test is free, and health insurance is not needed. However, if you do have health insurance, you will be asked to provide your health insurer’s information and your policy number.
The test at Marketplace Mall is administered by staff, using a nasal swab of 15 seconds in each nostril. This is not the nasopharyngeal swab procedure. This is simply a nasal swab that is placed in each nostril. Patients in vehicles must be seated at a functioning window. If you are driving, once you get in line, you will not be permitted to leave your car. Walk-up individuals are served through a walk-up lane and are then directed where to go to wait for testing. This site typically provides results within 1-7 days by phone call.
Undocumented and uninsured individuals can feel comfortable with receiving testing at this site. A photo ID is needed but it is not required to be a driver’s license or state issued ID.
No appointment required. Capacity may be limited, and hours of operation are subject to change on a daily basis, based on available equipment and resources. For more information, you can call: 1-800-889-3931.
Carle on Mattis COVID-19 Testing
(1702 S Mattis Ave, Champaign, IL) Open 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. – 7 days a week
For testing at Carle, individuals are required to call the COVID Hotline for approval in advance of testing. Some patients who are awaiting surgeries at Carle may also be directed to this site and told to get tested on a certain day. Carle testing is open to Carle patients, Carle staff, and essential workers with public health approval.
Carle testing does not require any payment and it is conducted by Carle staff. The testing is available via drive-up and walk-up. A photo ID will be requested
Testing is available for undocumented and uninsured individuals as well. If you have insurance, they ask that you provide your insurance card. However, if you receive a bill for the test, please contact Carle Billing (217-902-5690) as they are to cover all additional costs after billing the insurance company. The test is a nasal swab administered by staff that lasts 10-15 seconds – each nostril is swabbed. The test results will be available to you by phone call within 24-48 hours, or by MyCarle (only for negative test results), if you consent to receiving results that way.
For additional questions for Coronavirus testing at Carle, you can contact the Carle COVID-19 hotline at: 217-902-6100, or go here.
Christie Clinic
Christie Clinic is conducting some limited Coronavirus testing, primarily for patients. In order to get tested, you must be approved following a phone screening. You must first contact your provider to get approval for testing. Patients can call 217-366-1200 or go here.
Promise Healthcare (operates Frances Nelson Health Center and SmileHealthy Dental Clinic)
819 Bloomington Road, Champaign, IL 61820
Testing is now available for anyone interested in a test. The test is provided curbside at Promise Healthcare (Frances Nelson Health Center) at 819 Bloomington Road in Champaign.
An appointment is required. Call 217-403-5402 to schedule your appointment.
Promise Healthcare uses the nasopharyngeal swab test, which is the long swab. The test is administered by Promise Healthcare staff.
Most insurance plans will cover the cost of the test, and if someone is uninsured, they can apply for Promise Healthcare’s sliding scale to cover the cost of the appointment for the test.
Promise follows the Families First Act, meaning that there will be no patient co-pay or responsibility for COVID-19 visits and tests costs.
OSF Urgo – South Champaign
2043 S. Neil St, Champaign, IL 61820
OSF Urgo on South Neil Street in Champaign is offering coronavirus testing. In order to be able to get a test there, patients must meet testing criteria, and they must first be screened and directed to get tested.
People interested in getting a test at OSF Urgo should first call the OSF COVID-19 Nurse Hotline (available 24/7) at 833-OSF-KNOW (833-673-5669).
CampusTown Urgent Care – (217) 344-9909
631 East Green Street, Champaign IL, 61820
CampusTown Urgent Care is offering COVID-19 testing to individuals upon registering online. You can register for an appointment here.
The website will take you to two locations, one for Champaign and one for Bloomington. After you click your preferred location, the website will have you fill out your information and select a day and time to get tested. You must register first before going to get tested.
If you have health insurance, they will bill directly to your insurance. However, it is suggested that you speak with your health insurance first to certify that they will pay for it. It is no longer mandated for health insurance companies to pay for COVID-19 testing.
If you are without health insurance, you can provide your Social Security Number and the facility will turn this in to the federal government and a background check will be done. Once it is confirmed that you do not have health insurance, then the cost of the test will be covered if you are a U.S. citizen.
For undocumented individuals, you can receive testing at this site but will be billed for the cost of the test. The cost of COVID-19 testing is $236. Undocumented individuals should consider going to other locations for testing, including the Marketplace Mall location, or Promise Healthcare.
When arriving for your test, drive-up and walk-up are welcomed. It is instructed that you call when you are outside of the facility, provide your confirmation number from registration, and then they will fill out paperwork. The staff will approach you and verify your information and then the staff will conduct a nasal swab. The average time that it takes to receive results is 10-14 days.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
On-site testing is available on the U of I campus at 15 locations for students, faculty, and staff, as long as they can show a current iCard or U of I ID.
For more information, please go here.
Other resources
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District COVID-19 Hotline: (217) 239-7877
Email regarding COVID-19 questions: coronavirus@c-uphd.org
Stay tuned…
Stay tuned to CCHCC for more information and resources.
Stay safe and healthy.
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Champaign County Health Care Consumers